Ahad Cheema’s remand extended

LAHORE:An accountability court on Thursday extended judicial remand of former LDA DG Ahad Khan Cheema by April 14 in assets beyond means case.

The jail authorities didn’t produce Cheema before the court due to Corona Virus protocol. The court extended the judicial remand of the accused and adjourned the hearing by April 14. Previously, the court had indicted Cheema in said reference and so far seven witnesses have recorded their statements.

As per NAB, Ahad Cheema made property worth billions of rupees in the name of his family members. It said the suspect and his family members owned over 300 kanals of agriculture land in Hafizabad, over 190 kanals in Lahore, a flat in Hill View, Islamabad, two plots in FIA Employees Cooperative Housing Society, Islamabad, two flats and plots in Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation, Islamabad, a 10-marla plot in Faisal Town, Islamabad, two five-marla plots in Faisal Residencia Islamabad and a three-kanal plot on Bedian Road, Lahore.

Moreover, The NAB had also filed a reference against Cheema and five others over their alleged role in Ashiana Housing Scheme scam. The five others were Bismillah Engineering Company owner Shahid Shafiq, LDA chief engineer Israr Saeed, Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) chief engineer retired Col Arif Majeed, former PLDC chief executive officer Imtiaz Haider and PLDC official Bilal Kidwai.

In the Ashiana reference, Cheema was accused of causing a loss of Rs. 660 million to the national exchequer. The project cost ballooned to Rs3.4bn while 61,000 people who had applied for plots in the project suffered, NAB alleged.